Iowa Theatre: Sarah Plain and Tall

ICCT - This weekend, Sarah Plain and Tall opened at the Iowa City Community Theatre. This show may be familiar to some because of the tv movie version, and may be familiar to others because of the book of the same name. Vaguely, I knew it was about rural life when women wore long dresses and men slopped pigs. Normally, I hear about a show involving pigtails and prairie grass and run the other way through the romantic, undulating fields, but I decided I’d attend this one.

I rolled up to the theatre, skeptical, but heard welcoming tones as soon as I entered. The director has chosen to have live pre-show music, a guitarist and a vocalist, and this touch established a warm rapport between the audience and the performers even before the show began. Since one of the recurring themes of the show is the comforting and uplifting power of singing, this was an even more appropriate introduction and nice choice.

The plot revolves around a Kansas widower who takes out an advertisement for a bride, which is answered by the title character, the non-conformist Sarah, Plain and Tall. Sarah’s digressions include inviting the neighbors for dinner and yearning to wear overalls while she works on the farm. The conflict in the show revolves around whether or not Sarah will marry the widow Jacob Witting and help him care for his two children. Will the children accept her? Will Jacob? Or is Sarah just too modern to fit in on this Kansas farm with her crazy driving-into-town-on-her-own ways?

Brian Tanner as Jacob Witting is warm and establishes a genuine and convincing relationship with his children, Caleb (Daniel Burian) and Anna (Annie Hartley). The only shortfall in his performance is that he comes across as too nice all the way through the show, even when we are supposed to believe that Sarah is feeling oppressed by his traditional no-overall-wearing rules. He doesn’t give Sarah enough reason not to stay, so the romantic outcome of the show is even more inevitable than it might have been. And Sarah (Kathy McDonald) could be a bit more confrontational in her manner and tone at these times of conflict as well if we are to believe she’s wavering in her choice to stay or go. Not that you attend a show like this for the surprise ending, but still.

Howard Meadows and Mary Ann Cozine as the neighboring farm family also put in strong performances. They are fun to watch, especially Meadows, as his big voice fills up the performance space and he trods around in old jeans and boots.

But perhaps the most impressive performances come from the children, who the script relies on to hold this show together, particularly Daniel Burian and Annie Hartley as Caleb and Anna Witting. They have good timing, they look natural onstage, they nail their lines and they put in earnest performances. There are some emotional moments that could have been rendered with a bit more intensity and paid a bit more attention, but these are minor flaws compared to the energy and honesty with which the rest of the show is played.

Also grabbing a bit of attention is a hand-made quilt hung on the back wall of the set. The quilt is a nice touch. It lends authenticity to the time-period. It’s also up for raffle. You can pay two dollars for a chance to win it.

Aside from the quilt, the set is handled nicely, with a stage area set up for Sarah’s family back in Maine and a different area used for the Kansas farm families. A rowboat off stage right does a lot to remind us that Sarah’s character is used to the sea and misses it when she travels to Kansas and leaves her old life behind.

This is not a thrilling play. There are no acrobatics, no stage combat. No one really even raises his or her voice—save one well-played outburst by Annie Hartley.

It’s a quiet show, one about building relationships and trust, one about accepting people for who they are, one about how generally good people are. The actors take on their roles with skill, affection and warmth, and if you don’t feel good when you leave the theatre after this show, you must have had a very bad day.

Sarah, Plain and Tall, like the book and the movie, is a solid piece of entertainment for the whole family.

--Vicki Krajewski

Vicki Krajewski has acted and directed with theatre companies in Chicago and Iowa including the Prairie Center for the Arts, Sandcastle Productions, Dreamwell, Catalyst, Iowa City Community Theatre and City Circle. Several of her short plays and monologues have been produced in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. Along with her performance pieces, she does occasional newspaper reporting, freelance feature writing, technical writing, personal essays and even some poetry.

ICCT - The Iowa City Community Theatre's next show is based on the 1986 Newberry Medal winning children's novel, Sarah, Plain and Tall. We recently had the chance to speak with three of the principal actors of the show: Brian Tanner, who plays Jacob; Susan Jacobson, who plays the adult version of Anna, Jacob's daughter; and Kathy McDonald, who has the title role. All are experienced performers. In the past year alone, Brian has done shows with Dreamwell Theatre, Rage Theatrics, the defunct group Catalyst, and Starlighters as well as working with Riff Raff Theater and Comics in Action. Susan has done a number of shows in Ankeny and Des Moines; this is her first production with ICCT. Kathy has been in shows with both ICCT and City Circle and has also directed children's theatre in her hometown and at Regina Catholic Education Center in Iowa City.

Thank you for joining me today. Let's start with a short synopsis of the play. What's it about?

Brian: On one hand, the show is an examination of rural life circa the early 1900's, and on the other it's a good, wholesome show about the nature of what it means to be a family.

But more specifically, please give us an idea of what happens?

Kathy: The play is about a family in Kansas who have lost their wife and mother. The father decides to advertise for a wife, and Sarah comes from Maine to check out the family. She is a third wheel in the house of her brother and sister-in-law. One of the Witting children wants Sarah to stay and the other doesn't. The story is really about Anna, and how she processes her mother's death, and comes to care for Sarah.

Now let's go into the characters you play. Brian, you are Jacob Witting, the lonely widower who places the article in the paper for a wife. What are the challenges you faced in bringing the character to life?

Brian: Jacob is a pretty stand-up guy trying to do right by his children. He's a hard worker but I think he's looking to fill a void for himself and his children. I don't think he's looking to replace his late wife, but I don't think he feels complete without a wife either. He's pretty straightforward

and says what he thinks, unfortunately what he thinks is very old fashioned compared to modern standards. That makes him interesting for me to play, since he has a lot of outdated notions about women's place in the family and farm and that's a direct contrast with Sarah's progressive outlook. The challenge I've had is to try to convincingly portray someone with beliefs contrary to my own, which is a little bit different than just playing someone completely unlike yourself.

Kathy, tell us about Sarah. We know she's plain and tall, but what else can you tell us?

Kathy: Sarah is very independent, and actively fights against the social strictures for women in her day. That is what I really like about her. She also really likes children and is good with them. I can identify personally with all those qualities, so the character comes fairly easily. The challenge is not to make her too strident, because then Jacob wouldn't like her. A potential challenge would be trying to duplicate a Maine accent, but I don't know if I'll be doing that or not.

And Susan, tell us a little bit about portraying Anna.

Susan: I think of Adult Anna as creating the frame with the rest of the cast filling in the picture.

One of the challenges for this role is that my character always addresses the audience. During rehearsal when there is no audience there, I strive to be consistent and sincere, even though there is no one to interact with yet.

What was it like working with Annie Hartley, who plays the younger version of you? Did you try to copy mannerisms or anything to bridge the two characters?

Susan: Annie is a very talented young actress, and a pleasure to work with. I did try to
study her to copy mannerisms, it turned out to be easier than I thought because it seems to me that we already have similar mannerisms to begin with!

There are lots of kids in this play, from the two who play the Whitting children to the ones who have smaller roles. What was that like working with the kids?

Brian: It's been a great experience, they're all very talented. Annie is particularly skilled musically as well so she will be someone to watch for in the future. Daniel shows a lot of potential as well, especially in finding variations in emoting as a child who's never had a mother, but now has the opportunity to have one. Overall the kids are pretty well focused on learning their lines and characters or otherwise keeping themselves occupied. I've been involved with other productions where it's been a bit of a challenge to keep them reigned in but am not having those troubles with this cast. I'm also pleased to have my own daughter along watching the rehearsal process and who will have a walk-on role during the show.

Kathy: Yes, I agree. Nearly every show I've been in in the area has had kids in it. I work with kids every day and I like them, so it is fun for me. I love to see them grow as performers.

Now as I understand it some of the action takes place in Sarah's home on the East Coast and some takes place in the Whitting's home in Kansas. How is that portrayed on stage?

Brian: The stage is divided up between the two locales. It's pretty minimal and suggested by a few props. For the most part, the settings are character driven and conveyed by the actors.

Susan: Right and the audience sits in a 'U', creating a square in the center where most of Kansas takes place. The stage behind that is Maine. The separation of the two places will also be enhanced by lighting.

Kathy: And all the Kansas scenes are outdoors, while the Maine scenes are in the house.

Your director, Evie Stanske, is a Iowa City theatre veteran to say the least. What was it like working with her?

Susan: I learn something different from every director that I have worked with. It is good to be able to work with both the very experienced to the very new, as every
director has a different style, you learn to be flexible.

Brian: This is the first time I've worked with her as a director. She certainly has a lot of energy and is quick on her feet. I'm impressed with how well she can connect with the actors, particularly the kids. There's always a chance on a show with a number of children that things can get a little crazy, especially if they don't have an outlet for their energy. On this show though, it says a lot for Evie that she can both motivate them and connect with them, and I never feel that she's talking down to them or anyone.

I noticed that Nelson Gurrl, another veteran of the Iowa City theatre scene, plays multiple characters. Can you talk a little bit about that - who are the characters, what was it like working with Nelson?

Kathy: Nelson plays most of the incidental characters in the play; a driver, a station master, a farmer, a postman. His funniest character, I think, is Mr. Titus the farmer, who is trying to sell Jacob a cow. Nelson knows a lot about stage accents.

Brian: I've worked with Nelson in a couple other shows and have always enjoyed his company. He's certainly a recognizable figure so watching him find different characters through different vocal patterns, accents, and body language, has been interesting.

Susan: I honestly don't share any stage time with Nelson, which is unfortunate... hopefully I'll be able to get to know him more when we're backstage!

Are you familiar with the book on which this was based? Did you use that source material at all during the production?

Brian: I'm not familiar with the book and we didn't refer to it at all. Some friends that have read it speak very highly of it.

Kathy: I read the book last week. I'm actually a bit miffed with the playwright, since he lifted things from the book, but changed the focus of the story completely. So, that kind of precludes using the book as source material.

How about the TV movie with Glenn Close? Anyone see that?

Kathy: I've never seen the TV movie, so I don't know how it is the same or different from our production. A number of people not involved in the show have commented to me how much they liked the movie, but I refuse to watch it. I'm not foolish enough to think that I can compete on any level with Glenn Close! Except maybe as a singer - I don't know if she's good at that or not.

Brian: I didn't see that either, although I see from your blog that Christopher Walken was also in the movie. I'm guessing he played my character so although I'm curious about his portrayal, I'd rather not watch it until after so as not to be tempted to try to imitate him.

Susan: I am not familiar with the book and I did not see the movie!

What has been the most challenging part of the rehearsal process?

Susan: I've never had to sing before an audience before, so that is my most personal challenge to overcome. I wasn't sure how it would turn out!

Brian, you sing in this show too. Now I know that's not something you're extremely comfortable with either... how is that going for you?

Brian: The signing is a little scary for me. Hopefully it won't be as scary for the audience by the time we go up. Maggie Gurll is the music director and has been a big help. Kathy is a fantastic singer and so she's a big inspiration too. I believe she was a former music teacher so hopefully between the two of them they can cobble something together out of me that will work. Singing is something I've always admired other people for, and it's always something I'd like to be able to do. Unfortunately, I was born with nerve damage in my ears so that presents a challenge. One thing that helps is that while there's some songs and singing in the show, it's not what I would call a musical. The songs are part of the building blocks of the relationships between the children and Jacob and Sarah, so they are essential but it's not like we're breaking out into a song and dance accompanied by music that appears out of nowhere. Since Jacob is a farmer and father first, I think we're taking the approach that his singing style may be more folksy than Sarah's beautiful voice. In the end, I think everything will work out, but it's definitely a challenge!
What about you, Kathy?

Kathy: I sing every song in the show, all a capella. I was trained as a singer, and I love it, so no, I'm not anxious at all about it. The "barn" is a wonderful place to sing in because of the acoustics.

Did you consider heading out to karaoke some night to get yourselves ready for the show?

Brian: We haven't discussed it, but that's a good idea!

Kathy: I've done karaoke, but not for the purpose of practicing for the show. I don't really like it that much, because you can't do your own thing with the music. The audience expects you to try to sound like the recording, and there's no flexibility in terms of tempo and dynamics.

Spoken like a true singer! So tell me about a fun moment during the rehearsal process.

Kathy: Danny [who portrays Caleb Witting] wears his iPod during times he's not on stage. He's usually late for his entrances. We proposed fining him a quarter every time he was late... he said he couldn't afford it, because he's broke.

Susan: Brian singing like Bob Dylan was entertaining!

Oh, I can only imagine...

Brian: One time in rehearsal, Nelson had just left the stage playing a character with a penchant for spitting tobacco. Annie as Anna was rushing over to me and slid on the bare theatre floor. I mentioned that it was because of all the spitting Nelson had done. But on a more serious note, I've enjoyed hearing Kathy's singing and I always enjoy watching people find their characters and seeing them grow. Susan's performance has been great to watch too and since our characters don't interact, we're able to talk with each other backstage about how we're doing.

Why should audiences come to see this show?

Brian: It's a pretty light but touching show that should appeal to people of all ages, particularly families. It's a nice story that will entertain people with a look back into yesteryear.

Kathy: There are some pretty songs that we sing, and Sarah demonstrates that it is acceptable to be different, and that doesn't have to be a wedge between people.

Thank you so much for doing this.

Sarah, Plain and Tall opens tomorrow night. More information is available here.

Pages

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Review of Sarah, Plain and Tall

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Backstage with Sarah, Plain and Tall

Thursday, October 16, 2008

The cast of Sarah Plain and Tall